Born in New York City in February of 1964, Zach was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where he attended The Collegiate School until his graduation in 1982. A year earlier, he was asked to audition for the film Taps and the experience landed him an agent. He made his debut in the MGM film Nothing Lasts Forever opposite Bill Murray in 1982, but the film was shelved and never given a full release.

Zach’s second film, Gremlins (1984), did better, finishing as the third highest grossing film of the year. In 1985 he played the doomed teenager Rick Brogan in Surviving (1983), an acclaimed TV movie that featured Ellen Burstyn and Marsha Mason (as well as a young River Phoenix), and landed him on the cover of People magazine with co-star Molly Ringwald.

The following year brought his Broadway debut, replacing Matthew Broderick in Neil Simon’s Tony winning play Biloxi Blues. Other credits include the inevitable Gremlins 2 (1990), Tales from the Crypt, Melrose Place, and Waxwork (1987).

Finally, in 1996 after 14 years of interrupted semesters and multiple relocations, Zach graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in History.

More recently, Zach has written his two screenplays, Checkmate and Apple Scruffs, which was optioned by Mariposa Entertainment (actor Cary Elwes’ production company).